Stiffened flexible mould

ABSTRACT

A mould for culinary preparation comprises a hollow tray made from a flexible elastomer material and comprising a side wall, the top end of which forms an opening, and a rigid stiffener. Another stiffener, for example an annular or discoid stiffener is connected to the bottom, close to the junction with the side wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a mould used to make culinary preparation suchas cakes, pastry, etc.

Very stiff moulds made of metallic material are known, but the fact thatthey are stiff does not facilitate removal of the preparation from themould.

Silicone moulds are also known which have the advantage that they can beput into the oven, the microwave oven, the refrigerator, the freezer orthe dishwasher without being damaged, but these moulds are not stiff dueto the high elasticity of the material.

There are three disadvantages, all of which result from this highelasticity of elastomers: it is difficult to remove the preparation fromthe mould, it is inconvenient to manipulate the mould because it deformsso easily, and the uncooked preparation (frequently liquid) can easilyoverflow while the mould is being manipulated.

Solutions have been suggested to obtain a sufficiently flexible mould bymaking a local overthickness of the material. However, the resultingmould removal performances and the ability to maintain the liquidpreparation in the mould are not always satisfactory.

Patent FR 2 827 494 describes a silicone elastomer mould for a culinarypreparation to be baked or heated in the oven. The mould comprises aflexible hollow tray made of an elastomer material with a lower partprovided with a bottom from which a side wall rises up, an opening beingformed around the top end of the side wall, this opening beingsurrounded by a rigid annular or approximately annular stiffenerconnected to the said hollow tray.

The preparation is removed from the mould as follows; start with themould the right way up (opening at the top), and place the bottom of themould on a support. Press downwards on the stiffener towards thesupport, so as to curve the side wall and bring the top openingapproximately to the level of the bottom.

Although this solution is attractive, it is not perfectly satisfactory,particularly for the removal of all preparations from the mould, sincethe curved side wall allows a rim to project upwards around the borderof the bottom forming an obstacle, for example to the removal of a softcake or for the correct insertion of a cake turner.

Therefore, the problem that arises is to make a new mould for a culinarypreparation allowing very easy removal of the solid preparation from themould, potentially facilitating resistance of the mould to deformation,particularly if it contains a baked or unbaked liquid or heavypreparation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The proposed solution is a mould for a culinary preparation of the typementioned above characterized in that it comprises another rigidstiffener located in the lower part of the hollow tray and connected toit.

So, an object of the invention is a flexible mould for a culinarypreparation, comprising:

-   -   a tray adapted to be handled, the tray comprising a bottom wall        located at a lower edge of the tray, a side wall extending        upwardly from the bottom wall, the side wall having an upper        edge and including a peripheral wing projecting outwardly from        the upper edge, at least the side wall being made of a        food-grade elastomer material (preferably silicone-based),    -   a first stiffening element secured to the tray near the upper        edge, for improving the handling of the tray by said edge,    -   a second stiffening element secured to the tray near the lower        edge of the tray,    -   whereby the side wall is folded on itself and said first and        second stiffening elements are brought towards each other for        removing the culinary preparation out of the mould.

The first and second stiffening elements can especially be made of oneof a rigid plastic material and metal.

Inward radial distortion of the material in the vicinity of the locationof the second stiffening element (especially the bottom wall) isprevented.

According to a preferable feature, the first and second stiffeningelements are covered with a protective layer adapted for allowing themould to be heated in a microwave oven.

For preventing the polymerization process of the material to generatedecomposition by-products when the mould is manufactured, the flexible,food grade elastomer material of the tray will advantageously comprise asilicone obtained by a process of cross-linking with platinum, asexplained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,359 enclosed in the present descriptionby reference.

According to another preferable feature, the side wall has anessentially uniform thickness, preferably the bottom wall too.

According to another preferable feature, the side wall and bottom wallhave an inner surface adapted to be in contact with the culinarypreparation, said inner surface being free of any undercut.

According to another preferable feature:

-   -   the bottom wall and the peripheral wing of the tray are also        made of a food-grade elastomer material,    -   the tray is a one-piece sheet-like self-supporting tray, and    -   the second stiffening element is a ring located in the vicinity        of the junction between the bottom wall and the side wall.

If said second stiffening element is a ring, at least one of the bottomwall and the side wall of the tray can be provided with an open seat (orgroove), and said ring can be (possibly removably) secured in said openseat.

Optionally, the wing of the tray can also be provided with such an openseat (or groove),and the first stiffening element is then disposedwithin said seat.

Alternatively, the second stiffening element can be embedded within theflexible elastomer material near the periphery of the bottom wall.

According to an alternative embodiment, the second stiffening element isa plate defining at least a part of the bottom wall of the tray.

In such a case, the bottom wall having an upper surface directed to theinside of the tray, and a lower surface, said upper surface beingpreferably covered with an anti-adhesive layer includingpolytetrafluorethylene.

It can be understood that with this particular arrangement of the twostiffeners, the advantages of the maximum flexibility of moulds,especially made of a silicone type material, are maintained,particularly if the upper and lower stiffeners are both annular (ring)or approximately annular, the lower stiffener then preferably beingfixed to the bottom and located close to the junction between thisbottom and the side wall. The result is that the entire mould remainsflexible, thus improving some mould removal operations.

But some preparations may continue to cause a weight problem, and/or amould removal problem.

The invention then proposes that the “lower” rigid stiffener should bein the form of at least one plate at the bottom of the mould.

If this bottom plate extends radially around the outside periphery,approximately as far as the junction between the bottom and the sidewall, the hinge effect between the bottom and the side wall during mouldremoval will be reinforced (as in the previous solution with a bottomring), particularly if the “bottom” stiffener around the externalperiphery continues around the entire periphery of the lower portion ofthe hollow tray. Furthermore, if the said plate extends inwards as faras the centre of the bottom, thus occupying most or all of the surfaceof this bottom, the mechanical behavior of the bottom will befacilitated preventing “belly” effects under the weight and assuringsome stability in the bottom mould under all circumstances.

One aspect of the invention also relates to the link between the hollowtray and the “bottom” stiffener, when it is a plate.

The preferred solution for combining mould removal quality, mould costprice and ease of manufacturing, consists of:

-   -   doubling up the plate at least on one of its two faces by an        anti-adhesive (typically PTFE) coating that is visible on the        inside on the bottom of the mould;    -   and the plate is connected to the hollow tray by moulding around        its periphery, where it is trapped in a peripheral groove in the        hollow tray defining an inner rim.

Due to all or some of the above characteristics, two mould removaltechniques are recommended in particular, in relation with the basicproblem that arises.

In the first case, pressure is applied on the mould that tends to bringthe level of the bottom and the “top” stiffener surrounding the openingtowards each other, thus bending the side wall of the mould which turnson itself, until the bottom rises above the top end of the mould.

To complete mould removal in some cases, it is even recommended that thebottom can be raised above the level of the said top end, until the sidewall is unfolded upwards. The mould is then fully turned inside out likea glove.

In the second case, the mould is firstly put inside out and thenpressure is applied on the two stiffeners to bring the bottom and theopening towards each other, thus forcing the preparation out of themould.

In all cases, the mould assembly is stiff enough to be able to usegripping utensils, for example removable handles.

Other special features and advantages of the invention will become clearafter reading the following description of an embodiment given as anon-limitative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the attached drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a three-quarter bottom perspective view of a mouldaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows detail III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of a rigid stiffener used in a mould accordingto this invention;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view along axis V-V of the stiffener in FIG. 4;and

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 each represent a local section of a possible adaptedembodiment of the mould, along the same section as in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

As can be seen particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, the culinary preparationmould 1 according to this invention is in the form of a hollow tray lamade of a flexible (easily deformable), elastomer material (thereforewith elastic characteristics) for example made of silicone. This hollowtray forms the receptacle inside which the preparation may be placed. Itincludes a bottom wall 2, a side wall 3 that stands up from the bottomand a top ring (or wing) 4 defining an outer stiffening and gripping rimthat extends radially from the top part of the side wall 3 around theopening 5.

The mould 1 may have different shapes, for example round, rectangular,elliptical.

The thickness of the side wall(s) is preferably essentially uniform (afew millimeters everywhere), and said side wall is free of any undercutfor receiving the article to be heated or for improving local bending ofthe tray. The bottom wall has advantageously the same features.

If it is round as shown in the figure, the thickness of the ring 4 foran opening diameter 5 of the order of 240 mm, is usually between 0.5%and 1.5% of this diameter, and preferably 1%. In one preferredembodiment, the thickness of the ring 4 is of the same order ofmagnitude as the thickness of the bottom 2 and side wall 3, and ispreferably between 1.5 mm and 4 mm.

The top end of the side wall 3 delimits the opening 5 through which thepreparation can be added into tray 1 a. The annular part 6 of the topring 4 located at the opening 5 comprises a first rigid stiffener 7 (ortop stiffener).

For example, the stiffener 7 may be made of a plastic material(particularly a type PA 6.6 thermoset material) or a metal such asstainless steel or aluminum. In particular, the stiffener 7 may be awire with a diameter of between 1 mm and 5 mm.

The stiffener 7, advantageously placed around the entire mouldperiphery, is located at the same level as the opening 5. It isconnected to the side wall 3 only through the ring 4, at a distance fromthe opening 5. This distance is typically between 10 mm and 40 mm. For amould with an opening 5 with a diameter of 240 mm and with a height ofabout 50 mm, the stiffener 7 will preferably be located at a distancefrom the opening 5 equal to between 0.08 and 0.14 times this diameter,and preferably 0.12 times.

In the embodiment illustrated, the peripheral wing 4 is connected to thetop part of the side wall 3 through a rim 8 that is convex upwards.

This area 8 facilitates mould removal, by initiating curvature of theside wall 3 to enable mould removal. The largest force which consists ofsmoothing the angle between the ring 4 and the side wall 3 is no longernecessary.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shape of the stiffener 7 iscircular, including in section.

In the example shown in the figures, the ring 4 is formed continuouslyand is made of the same material as tray la. However, a removable ring 4could be used.

In FIG. 1, the stiffener is embedded in the material forming the ring 4,at the location of the projection 6 at the radial end of it. In FIGS. 2and 3, the stiffener 7 is fixed removable to the ring, by forced fittingin a peripheral groove, or seat, 9 partially open towards the inside.

Although not shown in the figures, means suitable for cooperating withremovable gripping utensils could be placed at the stiffener 7.

The mould described above typically corresponds to the mould disclosedin FR-A2 827 494.

The mould according to the invention is different from the moulddescribed in the prior application, particularly due to the presence ofanother rigid stiffener mark 11 in FIG. 1, 11′ in FIG. 2 and 11″ in FIG.9.

This second stiffener is located in the lower portion of the hollow tray1 a and connected to it to facilitate removal of the culinarypreparation from the mould, or even to stabilize the shape of the bottom2, during mould removal or when carrying the mould when full.

Like the upper stiffener 7, the lower stiffener may be a ring, annularor approximately annular, with a round section, as shown in FIGS. 4 and5.

In this case, it is recommended as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, that therigid ring 11 should be fixed to the bottom 2, being approximately atthe junction between this bottom and the side wall 3.

It should be noted that in the solution in FIGS. 6 and 7, the annularretaining ring 11 may be embedded inside the elastomer material of thehollow tray 1 a, or may be added onto it inside a groove (or open seat)made in the outer surface of the bottom wall with a narrow retainingneck 13 extending as an annular ring around the periphery of the bottom2, with an access opening preferably facing outwards (under the bottom)as shown in FIG. 7.

However, the solution of an embedded ring 11 in FIG. 6 will be preferredfor cost reasons, for ease of cleaning and therefore for keeping themould clean. Furthermore, if the stiffener is arranged in this manner,it must be present when making the hollow tray I a itself that istypically made by moulding.

Another solution consists of using a rigid stiffener in the form of aplate 11′ or 11″ at the bottom of the mould, instead of a retaining ring11 (FIGS. 2, 8 and 9).

The plate 11′ (or 11″) preferably extends over the entire surface of thebottom 2.

The connection between the tray I and the plate may be made particularlyin two different ways: either the plate is embedded in the flexiblematerial of the tray located at the bottom 2 (FIG. 8), or the plate isconnected to tray I at its periphery by inserting said plate into ahorizontal peripheral groove 15, facing the inside and belonging to arim 17 of the tray.

In both cases, the tray 1 a is made by moulding, the plate being placedin the mould before the flexible material is poured into it; in thesecond case, shrinkage and elasticity of the material block the platewith respect to the rim 17.

In the first case, the plate 11′ may be made of a piece of sheet metalor a rigid plastic plate (preferably thermosetting).

In the second case, it is a “coated” plate lined on at least its topface 19 by an anti-adhesive coating 21 such as polytetrafluorethylene(PTFE).

In this case, almost the entire bottom 2 is then formed by a solid diskwith an anti-adhesive surface fixed to tray 1 a.

The advantage of a solution with a discoidal shaped plate like that inFIGS. 2, 8 and 9, instead of a solution with an annular retaining ringlike that shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, is that the bottom is stiffer andcannot deform, either during mould removal or under the weight of thepreparation.

Furthermore, during mould removal, the user does not need to think aboutwhere to put his or her fingers on the bottom; there is always a rigidarea that will resist finger pressure.

It should be noted that a solution in which the bottom is locallyreinforced by several well-positioned plates linked together by aretaining ring if necessary, could be satisfactory in this respect(solution not shown).

The preparation in the figures can be removed from the moulds in twomain manners, depending on whether the preparation is removed from themould the right way down or upside down.

First assumption: mould the right way down and horizontal. The userpushes the upper stiffener 7 downwards and the bottom upwards, acting onthe stiffener 11, 11′ or 11″. Without necessarily placing the mould on asupport, he or she continues the movement until the bottom 2 passesabove the level of the ring 4, in other words above the opening 5, andfinishes by turning the mould inside out like a glove finger, theelasticity and deformability of the side wall 3 making it possible.

The retaining ring 11 and particularly the plates 11′ or 11″ then enablea utensil to be inserted along the top wall completely separated fromthe bottom, if necessary. There is no rim to make the operation moredifficult.

When being turned inside out like a glove finger, the arrangement of theretaining ring or the peripheral edge of the plate at the location ofthe slope change between the side wall 3 and the bottom 2 accentuatesthe hinge effect at this location.

Second assumption: mould inside out, held by the user. The user pusheson the periphery of the bottom at the same time as he pulls on ring 4,preferably lifting the mould slightly. The side wall folds outwards onitself. The preparation is pushed outside the mould which once againtends to fold back like a glove finger, this time downwards.

To sum up, two methods for removing the culinary preparation from themould 1 are preferably proposed thanks to the advantageous features ofthe invention:

-   -   a pressure is applied on the mould tending to bring the level of        the bottom wall and the first stiffening element 7 towards each        other, thus bending the side wall typically inwardly. During        removal of the preparation from the mould, the bottom rises        above the level of the opening 5. Typically, this removal        operation is done by continuously lifting the bottom wall above        the level of the opening 5, until the side wall is unfolded        upwards.

The mould is upside down, pressure is applied on the first and secondstiffening elements 7, 11, 11′, 11″ to bring the bottom wall and theopening 5 towards each other.

Due to the stiffness of the bottom, the bottom keeps its shape and willnot become wavy and create a risk of damaging the preparation,particularly if the preparation is a fragile cake.

1. A flexible mould for a culinary preparation, comprising: a tray to behandled, the tray comprising a bottom wall located at a lower edge ofthe tray, a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the sidewall having an upper edge and including a peripheral wing projectingoutwardly from the upper edge, at least the side wall being made of afood-grade silicone material, a first stiffening element secured to thetray near the upper edge for improving the handling of the tray by saidupper edge, a second stiffening element secured to the tray near thelower edge of the tray, whereby the side wall is folded on itself andsaid first and second stiffening elements are brought towards each otherfor removing the culinary preparation out of the mould.
 2. The flexiblemould according to claim 1, wherein the first and second stiffeningelements are covered with a protective layer for allowing the mould tobe heated in a microwave oven.
 3. The flexible mould according to claim1, wherein the side wall has an essentially uniform thickness.
 4. Theflexible mould according to claim 1, wherein the side wall and bottomwall have an inner surface in contact with the culinary preparation, andsaid inner surface is free of any undercut.
 5. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 1, wherein: the bottom wall and the peripheral wingof the tray are also made of a food-grade silicone material, the tray isa one-piece sheet-like self-supporting tray, the side wall has a uniformthickness, and the second stiffening element is a ring located in thevicinity of a junction between the bottom wall and the side wall.
 6. Theflexible mould according to claim 1, wherein the second stiffeningelement is a plate defining at least a part of the bottom wall of thetray.
 7. The flexible mould according to claim 6, wherein: the bottomwall has an upper surface directed to the inside of the tray, and alower surface, and at said upper surface, the plate is covered with ananti-adhesive layer.
 8. The flexible mould according to claim 3,wherein: at least one of the bottom wall and the side wall of the trayhas a groove, and the second stiffening element is a ring secured insaid groove.
 9. The flexible mould according to claim 1, wherein: atleast one of the bottom wall and the side wall of the tray has a groove,and the second stiffening element is removably disposed in said groove.10. A flexible mould for food, comprising: a flexible one-piecesheet-like tray to be handled and made of a food-grade siliconematerial, the tray comprising a bottom wall located at a lower edge ofthe tray, a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the sidewall having an upper edge and including a peripheral wing projectingoutwardly from the upper edge, a first stiffening element secured to thetray near the upper edge for improving the handling of the tray by saidupper edge, a second stiffening element secured to the tray near thelower edge of the tray, the first and second stiffening elements beingcovered with said silicone material, for allowing the mould to be heatedin a microwave oven.
 11. The flexible mould according to claim 10,wherein the side wall and bottom wall have an inner surface adapted tobe in contact with a culinary preparation, and said inner surface isfree of any undercut.
 12. The flexible mould according to claim 10,wherein the second stiffening element is embedded within said siliconematerial near the periphery of the bottom wall for preventing inwardradial distortion of the silicone material in the vicinity of thelocation of the second stiffening element.
 13. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 10, wherein the second stiffening element is a plateextending along the bottom wall.
 14. A flexible mould for food,comprising: a tray to be handled and made of a flexible, food gradeelastomer material to be heated in one of a conventional culinary ovenand a microwave culinary oven, the tray comprising a bottom wall locatedat a lower edge of the tray, a side wall extending upwardly from thebottom wall, the side wall having an upper edge and including a wingprojecting outwardly from the upper edge, a first stiffening elementsecured to the tray near the upper edge for improving the handling ofthe tray by said upper edge, a second stiffening element secured to thetray near the lower edge of the tray, so that, for removing out of saidtray a culinary preparation previously disposed therein and heated insaid oven, the side wall is folded on itself and said first and secondstiffening elements are brought towards each other.
 15. The flexiblemould according to claim 14, wherein the side wall and the bottom wallhave an inner surface in contact with the culinary preparation, and saidinner surface is free of any undercut.
 16. The flexible mould accordingto claim 14, wherein: the tray is a flexible one-piece sheet-like tray,and the first and second stiffening elements are covered with thematerial of the tray for allowing the mould to be heated in a microwaveoven.
 17. The flexible mould according to claim 14, wherein theflexible, food grade elastomer material comprises a silicone obtained bya process of cross-linking with platinum.
 18. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 14, wherein the side wall has an essentially uniformthickness.
 19. The flexible mould according to claim 14, wherein thetray is heated in a microwave oven and both the first and secondstiffening elements are covered with a protective layer for allowing themould to be heated in said microwave oven.
 20. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 19, wherein the tray is made of a silicone material,and the protective layer of the first and second stiffening elements ismade of the silicone material of the tray.
 21. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 14, wherein the side wall of the tray has a uniformthickness.
 22. The flexible mould according to claim 14, wherein thewing of the tray is provided with an open seat and the first stiffeningelement is disposed within said seat.
 23. The flexible mould accordingto claim 14, wherein the first and second stiffening elements are madeof one of a rigid plastic material and metal.
 24. The flexible mouldaccording to claim 7, wherein the anti-adhesive layer includespolytetrafluorethylene.